SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Competing on the same course that will host the ASUN Conference Championships four weeks from today, the FGCU men's cross country team took home its third win of the season while the women finished fifth at the Upstate Invitational Saturday morning.

On the men's side, it was the third time in four meets this season that both the team and an individual have finished first in a race as Luka Ndungu (Nyahururu, Kenya/EKU/Baari Secondary School) won his second meet of the season. En route to taking home the team title, the Eagles totaled 35 points and finished two points clear of three-time defending ASUN Champion Lipscomb (37), marking the first time since the 2012 FGCU Invitational that the Green and Blue have defeated the Bisons.

For the women, the Eagles were led by Carley Lutzow's (Belvidere, Ill./Belvidere HS) eighth-place finish as they tallied 126 points and finished ahead of Wofford (138), The Citadel (217), USC Upstate (227) and Gardner-Webb (239). FGCU was outpaced by Lipscomb (20), Appalachian State (86), Kennesaw State (91) and Georgia State (98).

"Both the men's and women's teams showed a lot of heart and determination today," said FGCU head coach Cassandra Goodson. "They executed the game plan perfectly. It's always nice to get a win, and we're looking forward to getting home and getting back to work."

Led by Ndungu, who recorded the third-fastest 8k time in program history after crossing the finish line in 25:03.29, FGCU had four men finish in the top-10 of the field of Division I runners as their average pace was more than seven seconds faster than runner-up Lipscomb. Ronny Greenup (Miami, Fla./FIU/Miami Sunset Senior HS) finished in the top-10 for the fourth straight meet this season as he placed fourth overall in 25:20.14 – good for the sixth-best time in program history. Following him, Maximilian Weigand (Penzberg, Germany/Gymnasium Penzberg) and Troy Clark (Mt. Dora, Fla./Mt. Dora Bible HS) finished sixth and 10th, respectively, while Leonel Delacruz (Immokalee, Fla./Immokalee HS) crossed the finish line 14th overall as the Eagles fifth and final point scorer. Weigand shattered his previous personal record with a time of 25:51.50, and Delacruz bested his performance at last year's conference meet as clocked a time of 26:11.31.

Paced by Lutzow's personal best time of 18:20.72, which registers as the second-fastest time recorded by a sophomore in program history, the Green and Blue's average pace was nearly 45 seconds faster than last weekend's Mountain Dew Invitational and 30 seconds faster than the season best. Anita Munoz (Immokalee, Fla./Immokalee HS) was on Lutzow's heels as she turned in a season-best time of 18:37.16 and finished 11th overall. Later, teammates Stephanie Cajas (Lithia, Fla./Newsome HS) and Regan Farrow (Oviedo, Fla./Lake Howell HS) finished in a tight pack in 25th and 31st, respectively, while Emily Perkinson (Orlando, Fla./Colonial HS) added a 51st place finish to round of the scoring for the Eagles. All in all, three of FGCU's five point scorers turned in season best times Saturday morning.

Complete individual and team results are listed below. 

MEN'S INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
1. Luka Ndungu – 25:03.29
4. Ronny Greenup – 25:20.14
6. Maximilian Weigand – 25:51.50
10. Troy Clark – 25:58.66
14. Leonel Delacruz – 26:11.31
25. Alex Delle Monache – 26:39.30
31. Jan Figueroa – 27:19.21

WOMEN'S INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
8. Carley Lutzow – 18:20.72
11. Anita Munoz – 18:37.16
25. Stephanie Cajas – 19:18.05
31. Regan Farrow – 19:33.67
51. Emily Perkinson – 20:53.53
54. Jessica Hanley – 21:13.60

MEN'S TEAM RESULTS (DI ONLY)
1. FGCU – 35
2. Lipscomb – 37
3. USC Upstate – 88
4. The Citadel – 115
5. Wofford – 121
6. Kennesaw State – 141
7. Gardner-Webb – 176

WOMEN'S TEAM RESULTS (DI ONLY)
1. Lipscomb – 20
2. Appalachian State – 86
3. Kennesaw State – 91
4. Georgia State – 98
5. FGCU – 126
6. Wofford – 138
7. The Citadel – 217
8. USC Upstate – 227
9. Gardner-Webb – 239

FOLLOW ALONG
For complete coverage of FGCU men's and women's cross country this season, follow us on Twitter @FGCU_XC and visit www.FGCUAthletics.com.

COACH GOODSON
FGCU is led by Cassandra Goodson, whose eight seasons at the helm have taken the Eagles from their humble beginnings to a competitive D-I program, highlighted by four trips to the NCAA South Regional Championship. Every mark in the FGCU all-time record book has been etched during the Goodson era, as she has coached 12 A-Sun All-Conference selections, the 2013 Female Conference Runner of the Year and two members of the NCAA South All-Region Team.

SUPPORT THE CAUSE 
FGCU Athletics sponsors events throughout the year to benefit the FGCU Campus Food Pantry (www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry) and the Harry Chapin Food Bank (www.harrychapinfoodbank.org), FGCU Athletics' charities of choice. For more information, including how to make a contribution, please visit www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.